AIBU to wonder how non-exercisers cope with aches as they age?

[secretgoose]

This is a curiosity post not a judgemental post.

But those who don’t go to the gym and don’t do any exercises, what kind of ailments are you living with and how old are you?

I’m 32 and I’ve been going to the gym for 4 years. I have some problems with my health occasionally such as hip tightness. I went out with my friends who don’t gym and after so long walking they both complained their legs were aching and I wondered how they will cope when they’re 40,50,60…

this isn’t judgemental because I think we have a real huge problem with exercising for aesthetics rather than how it makes us feel (as proven by the uptake of weight loss jabs). My bmi is currently in the overweight category. To look at me, I don’t look like a “gym person”. But I know I feel 10x fitter than I did in my 20s and for me, that’s what counts. Just wanted to add a little explainer so people don’t roll their eyes at me.

Maybe having a gym free/weight lifting free life isn’t as bad as I think it would be in terms of health but yeah, judging by how some of my friends are in their 30s, I really worry about it.

Yes id like to know this too. Im failing to see the connection here. Im on mounjaro, lost 12 stone..oh and fittest ive ever been. Not everyone just takes the jabs to get out of exercise, which is what i think you're saying maybe. Gym 5 times a week now that im considerably smaller it makes it a lot easier and its not to make me look better (Although would that matter!) Its to make me fitter, make me stronger...prolong my life. I think you're being judgemental here OP and not really considering every body is different and needs different levels of care to be sustainable

The idea of spending hours in a gym would be my idea of a boring hell.

I consider myself fit. I'm 73 years old and average weight. My lifestyle keeps me fit and healthy without paying for some overpriced gym subscription with unproven results. I walk loads during my day to day activities, gardening means I'm bending, lifting weights (bags of compost, full watering cans, strimmer). I can get in and out of my normal bathtub easily and do strenuous play activities with my grandchildren.

The gym thing is a commercial construct - fine if you want to spend your money and time in this way, but absolutely not for everyone.

I have a lot of friends and relatives who can’t walk far at all and would complain and regularly think that I am strange for choosing to be active in my spare time. Our social interactions are usually limited to a seated activity

This means that people are doing it to try to look a certain way, ie walk on a step machine for 45 mins to grow glutes, rather than doing an activity because it lights up all your endorphins and makes you feel amazing and improves your MH, which exercise genuinely can do, but many people who comment they can’t think of anything worse than going to a gym kind of prove. The gym is missing a big element for me that it’s indoors so not in sunlight, but I can still generate an endorphin rush from certain activities even if I am not growing a juicy booty

I’m active but I don't exercise as such.

But, I’m a pensioner and no aches and pains. And, apparantly, I’ve got good bone density.

@Kingdomofsleep your logic is very flawed. Shaking out a duvet is not exercising a muscle.

To grow and strengthen muscle, people do reps slowly, towards failure, to create micro tears in the muscle, under strain at an increased load over time. When I started doing bicep curls to make micro tears I might only need 2kg but now I need 10kg, otherwise I can’t create the strain and tears I need to grow the muscle.

The duvet will always weigh the same and never change

So you are only 32, already overweight and experiencing hip problems but you are concerned about other people's health as they age? I would stay focused on your own health.

Yep!
I've always exercised but not always effectively. I've worked out with a PT for years but remained obese until going on Mounjaro. Now I work out more often and more effectively because my body is less unweildy and more agile. I think that's pretty common for WLI users.

I am in mid seventies and have been sporty & active all my life, however, that has resulted in numerous injuries, so I do have aches & pains AND a replaced shoulder. I go to the gym 3 times a week and do resistance, weights and 8 min of cardiovascular (heart rate 80+% of max). It doesn’t change my aches & pains so much as it improves my functionality. I am currently focused on quads and glutes to support my knees, as they are heading towards wearing out, but this can be avoided by increasing muscle strength. The irony is life long exercise causes wear & tear, but functionality in old age can be helped with the right exercise. Recently, I have improved my ability to get up off our low couch without assistance (basically a deep squat) so exercise definitely helps

Is it genetics though, or did your parents keep active and eat for good nutrition and strength? Did this habit get passed down to them and then you?

I’m wondering whether some families have a history of a strong physical work ethic that they learned to fuel themselves for that gets passed down through the generations.

I don’t think strength and agility ‘just happens’.

That's if you're wanting to beef up, sure. We were talking about general body health... there's research that says prolonged sitting down is a big part of joint problems and modern obesity. Have you noticed how much sitting around happens in gyms? Even during a bicep curl. You really don't need disproportionately strong biceps for good health (although it looks attractive especially on a man, I'll grant that). You need strong core muscles like abs, glutes etc, not worked out in isolation.

When you're on a day out somewhere outdoors, you barely ever get a chance to sit down and you're exercising your core muscles much more, carrying kids or bags, etc. This is the comparison I'm saying.

I occasionally do aerials and people are surprised how strong I am at lifting my body weight when I "never exercise" (ie never go to the gym) and I don't look muscular at all...but people who have active everyday lives work out their core muscles more proportionately than other muscles, that's my point.

Yes the hypocrisy is astounding

Agree!
I come from a very sporty active family which was also fairly broke throughout my childhood with one family car so a lot of walking and cycling to get places. I am not sporty whatsoever but always had a base level of fitness and muscle tone and gained muscle and strength easily when I started lifting. Some is genetics and some is habitual fitness.

Exactly.... Its life changing...being fit but also mounjaro. I see them as 2 very seperate things. If I wanted to exercise just to stay thin id need to be a bleeding Olympic athlete...everyone's different. Well done on your lose

1000% the biggest take i get from exercise is improved mental health...and agility, energy. Doesn't matter what exercise it is. Everyone should do what works for them.

Many people start exercising in their 30s as they realise their bodies are ageing so don't worry about your friends too much.
Yourself however... I'd be seriously worried if I was overweight in my 30s - your weight will become increasingly hard to shift and it will put increased pressure on all your joints.

I do 30k steps a day when I go to Disneyworld and that’s without bothering with the gym between holidays. I’m good thanks 😂

Surely bodies don't start ageing in one's early 30s?? I mean not in the everyday sense of the word meaning "getting old". I'm over 35 and I don't feel any less fit than ten years ago, (in fact I'm fitter as my anemia finally got treated). I'm genuinely not trying to do a humble brag, I just don't think "ageing" starts when you're less than halfway through life. Otherwise you're spending over half your life trying to combat "ageing"!

all those anecdotes about someone never exercising and being super fit, and exercising people dropping dead left right and center are just anecdotes. My dear mum has always smoked 2 packs per day and is still fit and healthy, that doesn't mean smoking is not bad for you.

All research is very clear, regular exercise in older age significantly improves both lifespan and quality of life.

surprisingly yes they do, we start losing power, strenght and muscle mass already in our 30s (slowly, so it will not be immediately noticeable). Resistance training can slow this process considerably though.

Everyone's experience of aging is different, but it's not hard to see that if someone's day to day lifestyle is sedentary, eg an office job, driving/WFH and mainly looking after kids, post pregnancy and possibly carrying a bit of extra weight and lacking in sleep, that they're not going to feel as physically fit in their thirties as they did in their twenties. I mentioned earlier I'm in my forties and have colleagues younger than me who stress over having to walk a flight of stairs or if they'll be able to get up from a low chair, that's aging before your time.

There's lots of talk about fun activities here, for me one of the benefits of the gym strength training is having the confidence in what my body can do, to try more things. Had a hen party a while ago that included an activity centre with a climbing wall, dry ski slope etc. I wouldn't have felt confident trying those things if I didn't trust that I was strong, would cope with falling etc.

if someone's day to day lifestyle is sedentary, eg an office job, driving/WFH and mainly looking after kids, post pregnancy and possibly carrying a bit of extra weight and lacking in sleep, that they're not going to feel as physically fit

Absolutely but I'd call that "getting unfit" for lifestyle reasons rather than "ageing" as it could happen at any age and isn't an inevitable biological process driven by time, like say going grey haired

The thing about the fetishisation about the gym is, that it makes people think it’s a vital part of being fit. Here I see women saying they can’t get fit because they don’t have the time or money to go to the gym.

But a lot of exercise can be done at home. A mat and a set of hand weights are a great bonus if you can afford it. But most people, unless disabled in some way, can do some jogging or jumping jacks or planks at home, combined with stuff like running up the stairs if there are any in the home.

I think we need more focus on staying active at home, rather than focusing on gym membership and classes as the holy grail of fitness.

We are always ageing, that's entropy. We have periods where it accelerates but of course you're ageing in your 30s. 30s are usually the decade when people start to notice wrinkles, grey hairs and skin laxness starting. It's not usually extreme but the awareness of ageing often hits in the 30s which prompts thoughts of preparing for the next decade. I was in my 30s when I cut down my alcohol use significantly, stopped smoking and started regular exercise after living some very unhealthy years in my 20s!

It accelerates the loss of muscle mass which starts in your thirties, as another poster mentioned above. It limits your mobility and can lead to injuries that can be difficult to overcome later, ie use it or lose it.
Our skin ages in our thirties, our fertility changes mid thirties, our muscle mass changes, all of that is aging. It isn't the decline in old age but I'm not sure what else you'd call it!